Nanocrystalline heterojunction materials

ABSTRACT

Mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials are disclosed. In one disclosed embodiment, materials comprising a core of titanium dioxide and a shell of a molybdenum oxide exhibit a decrease in their photoadsorption energy as the size of the titanium dioxide core decreases.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/411,360, filed Oct. 1, 1999, now abadoned, which is incorporated herein by reference.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

This invention was made with Government support under Contract DE-AC0676RL01830 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

FIELD

The present invention relates to nanocrystalline materials. More specifically, mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide materials comprising titanium dioxide and a second metal oxide are disclosed.

BACKGROUND

Since the discovery that titanium dioxide can act as a photocatalyst for the splitting of water, the substance has attracted the attention of scientists. The substance, however, exhibits two principal physical limitations. First, titanium dioxide absorbs light at energies greater than 3.2 eV; well outside the most intense region of the ambient solar spectrum (centered at ˜2.6 eV). Second, since titanium dioxide functions as a heterogeneous catalyst, catalytic activity is limited by surface area.

Titanium dioxide exists in at least three crystalline forms: anatase, rutile, and brookite. Anatase is the form that exhibits the highest catalytic activity and much effort has been directed toward providing anatase powders with increased stability and high surface areas.

Anatase nanocrystallites (i.e crystals with a diameter in the range of 20 Å to 100 Å) are of interest because their photophysical and catalytic properties differ from the bulk material (See for example, Brus, J. Phys. Chem., 90: 2555-2560, 1986). Nanocrystallite properties are a direct result of the particle size and dimensionality, making adjustment of crystallite size and architecture an avenue to materials with novel photophysical and catalytic properties. Unfortunately, such small particles are difficult to handle, exhibit poor thermal stability, and exhibit a blue shift (i.e., further away from the ambient solar maximum) in their absorption relative to the bulk material.

Mesoporous materials offer an attractive alternative for increasing the surface area of a substance without making it difficult to handle. Mesopores (i.e. pores from about 20 Å to about 140 Å in diameter) provide a high surface area per unit mass through an increase in internal surface area and make it unnecessary to reduce the overall size of the particles to increase surface area. In contrast to microporous materials (i.e. materials having pore sizes of less than about 15 Å), mesoporous materials show much higher rates of diffusion into and out of the pores, an attractive feature for a catalyst.

A general approach to the production of mesoporous materials by templating the formation of an inorganic oxide framework around surfactant micelles is disclosed in Huo et al., Nature, 368:317-321, 1994. Micelle size (a function of surfactant size) determines mesopore size in the as-synthesized materials. The surfactant micelles are removed from the resulting material by solvent extraction or thermal oxidation (calcination). The result is a mesoporous material having inorganic oxide walls between the pores.

Mesoporous silica and aluminosilicate materials with surface areas above 1000 m² g⁻¹ have been synthesized by surfactant templating (see for example, Kresge et al., Nature, 359: 710-712 and Beck et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 114: 10834-10843). Mesoporous titanium doped metal silicates formed in a similar manner are disclosed in Hasenzahl, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,430. Thermally stable mesoporous materials with metal oxides as the principal wall component have been more elusive.

Mesoporous titanium dioxide materials are disclosed by Zhang in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,878 (Zhang). These materials are formed using alkylamine micelles as the structure-directing agent. Zhang also discloses a method of treating the materials with a second metal compound after mesopore formation and wall crystallization has occurred. Despite this treatment, however, these materials still experience a significant loss of surface area upon calcination.

A mesoporous titanium dioxide material that does not lose pore structure upon calcination is described by Elder et al. (Elder et al., Chem. Mater., 10: 3140-3145, 1998). This material, comprising nanocrystalline anatase particles surrounded by amorphous zirconium oxide is stable and exhibits high surface areas. However, as is typical of nanocrystalline materials in general, the material exhibits a blue shift in photoabsorption energy (PE), exacerbating one of the principal limitations of titanium dioxide materials, insufficient absorption of solar radiation.

SUMMARY

Mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials as described herein are a surprising new class of materials that overcome the principal limitation of zirconium oxide stabilized mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows XRPD diffraction data for a series of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell compounds.

FIG. 2 shows a plot of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) photoabsorption energy (PE) as a function of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell diameter (i) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18): 80 Å, PE=2.88 eV; (ii) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54): 60 Å, PE=2.79 eV; (iii) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1): 50 Å, PE=2.68 eV; (iv) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8): 40 Å PE=2.60 eV.

FIG. 3 shows the Mo K-edge XANES data for α-MoO₃ (□), TiO₂—(MoO₃)0.18 (Δ), TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54) (x), TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1) (O), and TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) (⋄), and MoO₂ (solid line).

FIG. 4 shows the Mo—L₃-edge XANES data for α-MoO₃ (□), TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18) (),TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) (x), and Na₂MoO₄ (O).

FIG. 5 shows Raman Scattering data for the series of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell materials, and TiO₂ and α-MoO₃ for comparison: (A) anatase TiO₂ standard, (B) anatase TiO₂ with average crystallite size of 100 Å; (C) TiO₂—(MoO₃)0.18; (D) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54); (E) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1); (F) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8); and (G) α-MoO₃.

FIG. 6 shows an idealized cross-section view of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell particles (relative size and shell thickness are accurate).

FIG. 7 shows the arrangement of the TiO₂ core and MoO₃ shell valence bands (VB) and conduction bands (CB) for TiO₂—MoO₃)_(1.8) after heterojunction formation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

New heterojunction materials exhibit red-shifted photoabsorption energies (PE's) that contrast sharply with the blue-shifted PE's typical of zirconium oxide stabilized nanocyrstalline titanium oxide materials and nanocrystalline materials in general. In some embodiments, the new titanium dioxide heterojunction materials show a PE that corresponds closely with the ambient solar maxiumum (˜2.6 eV).

Disclosed mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials comprise a nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase chemically bonded to a phase of a second metal oxide through a heterojunction formed at an interface between the phases. As used herein, a heterojunction is a boundary between a nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase and a second metal oxide phase along which their electronic oribitals overlap. Orbital overlap at the interface between the two oxide phases allows electronic transitions to occur between the valence band (HOMO-highest occupied molecular orbital) of one oxide phase and the conduction band (LUMO-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) of the second oxide phase. Nanocrystalline heterojunction materials therefore possess unique photophysical properties, not seen for materials where contacting metal oxide phases are not chemically bonded (e.g., in zirconia stabilized mesoporous nanocrystalline titantium dioxide). For example, the disclosed nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials are characterized by a red-shift in PE that correlates with the extent of chemical interaction between the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase and the second metal oxide phase at their interface. In some instances the red-shift is sufficient to bring the PE of the material below the PE's of both titanium dioxide and the second metal oxide. Heterojunction materials may exhibit photochromism and fluorescencent properties not seen for either metal oxide alone.

In some embodiments, the disclosed nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials comprise a nanocrystalline titantium dioxide core and a shell of a second metal oxide, wherein the two oxide phases are chemically bonded through a heterojunction at the interface between the core and the shell. The shell may vary from less than a complete monolayer of the second metal oxide on the surface of the core to one or more monolayers of the second metal oxide phase that substantially surround the core. In particular embodiments, a molybdenum oxide shell surrounds a nanocrystalline anatase core. In more particular embodiments the molybdenum oxide shell has a structure substantially similar to α-MoO₃. In these materials, the PE systematically shifts to the red as the molybdenum oxide shell varies in size from less than a monolayer to about two full monolayers.

Mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide heterojunction materials may be prepared by combining a water-soluble polyoxometallate cluster and a water-soluble titanium chelate in the presence of cationic surfactant micelles. In the disclosed methods, a water-soluble titanium chelate, a cationic surfactant, and a water-soluble polyoxometallate cluster of a second metal, are combined in water to form a solution that contains micelles of the surfactant. A precipitate may form spontaneously from the solutions or after further addition of water. The precipitate is then aged hydrothermally and the micelle template may be removed from the resulting material by solvent extraction or calcination of the precipitate.

The water-soluble titanium chelate may be a chelate of titanium with an alpha-hydroxy acid, such as lactic acid. The cationic surfactant may be a tetraalkylammonium surfactant, such as a tetraalkyl ammonium surfactant with at least one carbon chain of 8 to 24 carbons, for example cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC).

It is currently believed that polyoxometallate clusters, particularly those structurally characterized by octahedra of metal and oxygen atoms and more particularly those characterized by edge-sharing octahedral structures, are capable of chemically interacting with and forming heterojunctions with nanocrystalline titanium dioxide. In some embodiments, the pH of the polyoxometallate solution is adjusted to stabilize the octahedral arrangement of metal and oxygen atoms in the cluster. In particular embodiments, if the polyoxometallate cluster comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Mo, W, V and combinations thereof the pH of the solution is from pH 3 to 6. In another particular embodiment, if the polyoxometallate cluster comprises Nb the pH of the solution is from 10 to 13. In some embodiments, the water-soluble polyoxometallate cluster comprises octahedral units of structure MO₆ where M is chosen from the group consisting of V, W, Nb, Mo, Al and combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the polyoxometallate clusters are anionic and in more particular embodiments, the polyoxometallate cluster is selected from the group consisting of Mo₈O₂₆ ⁴⁻, V₁₀O₂₈ ⁶⁻, Nb₆O₁₉ ⁸⁻, W₁₂O₃₉ ⁶⁻, and mixtures thereof. Additional examples of iso- and hetero-polyoxometallate complexes, including anionic complexes and complexes having octahedral arrangements of metal and oxygen atoms, may be found, for example, in Cotton and Wilkinson, Advanced Inorganic Chemistry, 5^(th) ed., John Wiley and Sons, 1988 which is incorporated herein by reference.

Like other surfactant templated mesoporous materials, the size of the mesopores in the disclosed heterojunction materials may be adjusted from 20 Å to 140 Å. The size of the titanium dioxide nanocrystallites in the disclosed heterojunction materials may also be adjusted, for example, from 25 Å to 100 Å. In core-shell heterojunction materials, thickness of the metal oxide shell may influence overall diameter of the core-shell structure and the diameter of the core. In a particular embodiment, the overall diameter of nanocrystalline titanium dioxide core/molybdenum oxide shell structures and the diameter of the titanium dioxide core decrease as the thickness of the molybdenum oxide shell increases. Surprisingly, as the diameter of the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide core becomes smaller the PE is still red-shifted due to heterojunction formation.

Methods for preparing heterojunction materials (e.g., molybdenum oxide/titanium dioxide core-shell materials) may be contrasted with methods for preparing non-heterojunction materials (e.g., zirconia stabilized mesoporous nanocrystalline titanium dioxide materials). Heterojunction materials are synthesized from polyoxometallate complexes whereas non-heterojunction materials are synthesized from metal salts.

Use of polyoxometallate complexes as a reagent leads to surprisingly different structures and properties for the resultant materials. It appears that polyoxometallate complexes react to form distinct metal oxide phases in contact through a heterojunction, with nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phases. Heterojunction formation at the interface between metal oxide phases in these materials is evidenced by their surprising photophysical properties. Unlike typical nanocrystalline titanium dioxide materials, the disclosed heterojunction materials exhibit red-shifted photoabsorption energies, such as a photoabsorption energy lower than 3.2 eV.

EXAMPLE 1 Preparation of TiO2—(MoO₃)_(x) Core-Shell Materials: a Heterojunction Material

The core-shell materials were synthesized by a co-nucleation of metal oxide clusters at the surface of surfactant micelles. In this instance, the molybdenum oxide was provided as a polyoxometallate complex. The general reaction stoichiometry for the preparation of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials is shown in the equation below:

(1−y)(NH₄)₂Ti(OH)₂(C₃H₄O₂)₂(aq)+(y/8) Na₄Mo₈O₂₆(aq)+CTAC(aq)  (1)

(y≦0,57)

As an example, for the synthesis of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18) 4.8 g (y=0.10) of (NH₄)₂Ti(OH)₂(C₃H₄O₂)₂ (Tyzor LA,; Dupont) were combined with 4.9 g of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride surfactant (CTAC, 29 wt % aqueous solution, Lonza). To this solution, 30 ml of a 1.8 mM Na4Mo₈O₂₆ aqueous solution was added with vigorous stirring, which produced a voluminous white precipitate. The Na₄Mo₈O₂₆ aqueous solution was made by dissolving Na₂MoO₄.2H₂O in H₂O, and adjusting the pH to 3.5 with concentrated HCl.

The reaction was stirred at room temperature overnight, at 70° C. for 24 h, and at 100° C. for 48 h in a sealed Teflon reactor (hydrothermal aging step). The precipitate was isolated by washing and centrifuging several times with water, and the CTAC was removed by calcining in air at 450° C. for 2 h. The synthesis of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54) (y=0.25), TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1) (y=0.50), and TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) (y=0.57) were accomplished in an analogous manner, and the chemical compositions were determined by elemental analysis. The quantity y (equation 1) can be continuously varied from 0.01 to 0.57, but the four core-shell compositions described above adequately represent the range of structural and electronic properties displayed by the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds. It is important to note that if no CTAC was included, or if the CTAC was substituted with NH₄Cl, no precipitation reaction occurred at any point in the reaction steps. Furthermore, if no Mo₈O₂₆ ⁴⁻ (aq) was included in the reaction, only a white solid was produced, and the same observation was made if only Mo₈O₂₆ ⁴⁻ (aq) was used in reaction 1. Only bulk crystalline TiO₂ and α-MoO₃ can be prepared for y>0.57, which is indicative of macroscopic phase separation.

The variable x in the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) nomenclature was calculated as follows. The MoO₃ shell thickness was calculated by considering the elemental analysis data, the surface area of the powders (Table 1 below), and the crystallographic structure of α-MoO₃. The Mo surface density on the (010) plane of α-MoO₃ is 6.8×10¹⁸ m⁻², and this Mo surface density, combined with the measured surface area, was used to define the MoO₃ monolayer coverage for the shell. For example, one monolayer is one layer of comer sharing MoO₆ octahedra, and two monolayers has the thickness of one of the slabs oriented perpendicular to the b-axis of α-MoO₃.

TABLE 1 Elemental analysis data (mol % Mo) and surface area for the TiO₂-(MoO₃)_(x) materials that were used to calculate the number of MoO₃ monolayers (x) in the shell (y refers to the reaction stoichiometry in equation 1). surface area Core-shell Material Y Mol % Mo (m²/g) TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18) 0.10 2 125 TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.55) 0.25 10 200 TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1) 0.50 25 205 TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) 0.57 30 150

EXAMPLE 2 Characterization of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) Core-Shell Materials

The color of the calcined TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) powders was expected to be white, or possibly very light yellow, because the transition metals are in their fully oxidized state (i.e. d°). In contrast, they surprisingly displayed a variety of colors ranging from gray-green to green as a function of MoO₃ content. XRPD (X-ray powder diffraction) studies were conducted to ascertain how the crystallographic structures of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds correlated with these colors. The XRPD data for a series of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell compounds (FIG. 1) exhibited diffraction peaks that could be indexed on the TiO₂ (anatase) unit cell. In FIG. 1, the lowest set of stick-figure data is that reported for pure anatase TiO₂. No crystalline molybdenum oxide phase was observed in the XRPD data. Based on the peak broadening, the TiO₂ was determined to be nanocrystalline, with the crystallite size decreasing as the MoO₃ shell thickness increased. The average TiO₂ crystallite size was determined using the Scherrer equation and confirmed with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The crystallite diameters are: TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18): 80 Å, TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54): 60 Å, TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1): 50 Å, TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8): 40 Å.

High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) studies on these samples supported the anatase crystallite size calculated from the XPD data, and also confirmed there was no crystalline or large (>20 Å) amorphous molybdenum oxide phases. Images from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) studies on these samples exhibited particles with well-defined lattice fringes. The lattice spacing of the crystallites with non-crossed fringes measured 3.5±0.05 Å, which corresponds to the distance between the (101) planes in anatase TiO₂. The TiO₂ crystallite sizes measured in the HRTEM images were similar to those calculated from the XRPD data. Finally, there were no crystalline or large (≧10 Å) amorphous molybdenum oxide domains evident in HRTEM data.

Diffuse Spectral Reflectance (DSR) data was collected and confirmed that the color variation observed is due to a regular decrease in the photoabsorption energy (PE) with increasing MoO₃ shell thickness. A plot of PE vs. particle size (FIG. 2) clearly shows that the bandgap energies of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds become progressively more red-shifted, with decreasing nanoparticle size. For comparison, PE for bulk anatase is 3.2 eV and is 2.9 eV for bulk α-MoO₃. The TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) bandgap energies range from 2.88-2.60 eV, approximately equal to or lower in energy than bulk MoO₃. At 2.60 eV, the absorption is in the most intense region of the solar spectrum.

As a clarifying note, despite the increase in MoO₃ shell thickness when going from TiO₂—(MoO₃)0.18 to TiO2—(MoO₃)_(1.8), the overall particle size (core+shell) decreases since the TiO₂ core size decreases rapidly in this series, but the shell is never more than ˜6 Å thick. The plot of PE vs. particle size (FIG. 2) clearly shows that the PE becomes more red-shifted with decreasing particle size. Such behavior is unexpected for nanocrystalline materials.

The electronic bandgap transitions for the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds are fundamentally different than those previously reported for II-VI and III-V core-shell systems. Theoretical and experimental work on II-VI and III-V core-shell nanoparticle systems indicate that PE is a function of both size quantization effects and the relative composition of the core-shell particle (i.e. relative thickness of the core and shell). In the limiting case it is logical to expect the PE of a core-shell nanoparticle system to be greater than or equal to the smallest band gap material comprising the core-shell system. In addition to this, a PE blue-shift, relative to the band gap energies of the bulk materials, is expected when the core-shell particle size is in the quantum regime (i.e., core diameter or shell thickness equal to or smaller than the Bohr radius of the valence/conduction band electron). Indeed, previous work demonstrates these two effects. For these reasons the PE for the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) core-shell materials was expected to be greater than 2.9 eV (PE for MoO₃), and likely greater than 3.2 eV (Eg for TiO₂) due to the dominant size quantization effects, especially for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) where the core-shell size is ˜40 Å. For example, a band gap energy blue-shift is observed for PNNL-1 (Eg=3.32 eV)_(x) which contains nanocrystalline TiO₂ with an average crystallite size of 25-30 Å. In contrast, the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) PE's range from 2.88 to 2.60 eV, approximately equal to or lower in energy than bulk MoO₃, which places the PE of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) in the most intense region of the solar spectrum. The charge-transfer absorption properties exhibited by the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds appear to be fundamentally different than previously reported for the II-VI and III-V core-shell systems. Conversely, the TiO₂—(MoC)₃)_(x) materials did not fluoresce when they were photoexcited at energies above their PE edge, as opposed to a sample of pure TiO₂ that gave a characteristic fluorescence spectrum. The lack of fluorescence is readily understood considering that the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials exhibit photochromic properties: they become blue/black in color when exposed to light under ambient conditions. This photochromism was studied by irradiating each of the powders with monochromatic light, and it was found that all of the samples turned blue/black when excited with light having 420 nm (TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18))≦λ≦460 nm (TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8)). For comparison, bulk TiO₂ and MoO₃ exhibit photochromism, but only when irradiated with ultraviolet light (˜300 nm). The photochromic behavior of the materials is believed to be first reported visible-light induced photochromism of TiO₂ or MoO₃ without prior bluing by cathodic polarization.

Considering the relative ease in which reduced molybdenum oxides are formed, generally called Magneli phases, EPR data was collected on the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds to determine if paramagnetic molybdenum species played a role in the observed optical properties. Both CW-EPR spectra and profiles of the electron spin-echo intensity as a function of magnetic field were recorded between room temperature and 5 K for each sample. There was a single dominant EPR signal exhibiting roughly axial symmetry with g_(∥)=1.883 and g_(⊥)=1.93. The relative ordering of the g-values is typical for Ti(III) in oxides, while the opposite is usually observed for Mo(V) in oxides. In addition, Ti(III) at the surface of an aqueous colloid of TiO₂ has g_(∥)=1.88 and g_(⊥)=1.925, making it likely the EPR signal from the samples is due to Ti(III) either at an exposed TiO₂ surface or at the Ti/Mo interface. Assuming equal packing densities for each sample, the double integrals of the CW-spectra indicated that the number of spins was directly proportional to the Mo content. However, because the packing density of the samples in the EPR tubes was not known very accurately, double integration was not a precise method for determining absolute spin concentrations in the sample. Yet, the possibility that these centers might be responsible for the PE shifts made such data important. We therefore turned to measurements of the electron spin-spin relaxation to set upper limits on the absolute spin concentration. Interaction with nearby paramagnetic centers is one reason for decay of the two-pulse electron spin-echo and adds to the decay rate from other sources. The decay rate caused by nearby spins is well understood and for these samples is expected to be equal to α_(C)·C_(loc) where α_(c)˜(0.3-0.9)×10⁻¹³ cm³/s and C_(loc) is the local concentration of paramagnetic species. The electron spin-echo decay rates were not obviously related to Mo content and varied between 0.4×10⁶ and 1.25×10⁶ s⁻¹ with little, if any, temperature dependence below 150 K. Taking the fastest decay as an absolute upper bound on local paramagnetic concentration, which occurs in the sample with the highest Mo content (TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8)), gives a local concentration of paramagnetic centers of 4×10⁵ Å⁻³. This corresponds to approximately one paramagnetic center per particle. The CW EPR measurements showed that the number of centers is 10 times less in TiO₂—(MoO₃)0.18, suggesting a local concentration 10 times lower in a particle with roughly 10 times larger volume, again giving an upper limit of approximately one paramagnetic center per particle. The actual local concentration is probably at least an order of magnitude lower than this upper bound.

X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) data was collected as a means to separately evaluate the Ti—O and Mo—O structural connectivity. The Ti K-edge and preedge data for all four TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds were nearly identical with that of the TiO₂ (anatase) standard. This supports the XRPD data and confirms that there is very little, if any, Mo in the anatase lattice: the TiO₂ and molybdenum oxide are in separate phases with an interface. The Mo K-edge XANES data (FIG. 3) clearly demonstrate that the edge and preedge features shift to lower energy in a regular fashion as the MoO₃ shell thickness increases, but the overall shape remains quite similar to that of α-MoO₃. The shift in energy suggests a significant increase in the covalency of the Mo—O bonding, or O→Mo charge transfer, yet the overall Mo coordination is akin to that of α-MoO₃.

Mo L₃-edge data were collected because they are particularly useful for determining the coordination symmetry (especially tetrahedral vs octahedral) about Mo. For tetrahedrally or octahedrally coordinated Mo, the L₃-edge data are characterized by two absorption peaks with an approximately 2:3 (e below t₂) and 3:2 (t_(2g) below e_(g)) ratio in their intensities, respectively. In addition, the energy difference between the two absorption peaks is greater for octahedrally coordinated Mo (typically 3.1-4.5 eV) since the t_(2g)/e_(g) splitting is greater than the e/t₂ splitting in tetrahedral coordination (typically 1.8-2.4 eV) due to the crystal field interactions. FIG. 4 illustrates the Mo L₃-edge data for the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) (x=0.18 and 1.8) compounds, along with α-MoO₃ (octahedral Mo⁶⁺) and Na₂MoO₄ (tetrahedral Mo⁶⁺). FIG. 4 shows that the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) L₃-edge data have a low-energy peak of greater intensity than the high-energy peak which is in agreement with Mo in octahedral coordination. The TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) peak intensity ratio is not exactly 3:2 as in α-MoO₃, which may be attributed to the distorted (i.e. low symmetry) structural nature of the MoO₆ octahedra in the shell. The second derivatives of the L₃-edge data were used to more accurately determine the energy separating the absorption peaks and yielded a difference of 3.1 eV, which falls within the energy range expected for Mo⁶⁺ octahedrally coordinated by oxygen. Again, the splitting energy is at the low end of the range and is also likely the result of the structural distortions in the MoO₃ shell which lift the t_(2g)/e_(g) orbital degeneracies and reduce the energy difference between the upper and lower 4d manifolds.

Raman scattering data (FIG. 5) were collected on the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials to gain further evidence for the core-shell arrangement, since these measurements are quite sensitive to the atomic connectivity. The data labeled as TiO₂ (std.) (curve A) in FIG. 5 are from powder that is 99% anatase (estimated from XRPD data) with average crystallite size greater than 0.5 μm. These data match the literature data for anatase TiO₂. The next set of data labeled 100 Å TiO₂ (curve B) are for a powder that resulted when no Mo₈O₂₆ ⁴⁻ (aq) was included in the reaction described in Example 3 above. These data are quite similar to the TiO₂ (std.) data except there is a slight shift of the two e_(g) bands to higher wavenumber due to the quantum confinement of the phonon states in the TiO₂ nanocrystallites. The data between 100 and 700 cm⁻¹ for the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials are quite similar to those of 100 Å TiO₂ except for the progressively greater shift to higher energy of the e_(g) bands and an increase in band broadening. This is expected since the nanocrystalline TiO₂ size decreases as MoO₃ coverage increases. The other feature is the appearance of a broad peak at ˜820 cm⁻¹ and a second peak at ˜1000 cm⁻¹. Both of these peaks become more prominent with increasing MoO₃ content, and their origin can be easily understood by comparing them to the Raman data for α-MoO₃ (curve G). The peak at ˜820 cm⁻¹, most apparent in the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) data (curve F), is attributed to the Mo—O—Mo stretching mode of the comer sharing MoO₆ octahedra. This Raman band should be most evident in TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1) and TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) since these two have at least one complete MoO₃ shell. The 820 cm⁻¹ band is the strongest band in the α-MoO₃ data (a_(1g)/b_(1g) mode), but is rather ill defined in the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) data due to the highly distorted comer sharing octahedral arrangement in the shell. The better-defined Raman band at ˜1000 cm⁻¹ matches the symmetric Mo═O stretch (b_(3u) mode) in α-MoO₃. The Mo═O groups in the α-MoO₃ structure are located at the surface of the (010) slabs, pointing out. However, there are no other distinct α-MoO₃-like bands in the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) Raman data, which indicates the shell does not possess any long-range crystalline order. Previous Raman studies on dispersed molybdenum oxide compounds have shown the presence of polymolybdate and pentacoordinate molybdate surface species. However, in contrast to our materials, the structural nature of the surface molybdenum oxide species were found to be highly dependent on the concentration of molybdenum oxide present and whether the samples were hydrated (i.e. exposed to ambient air) or dehydrated. The 998 cm⁻¹ band position in α-MoO₃ (M═O stretching mode) is not influenced by hydration, and this is what is observed for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials (all samples were stored and measured under ambient conditions). This strongly indicates that our new compounds have a molybdenum oxide shell structurally similar to α-MoO₃, and not like MoO₄ ²⁻, Mo₇O₂₄ ⁶⁻, Mo₈O₂₆ ⁴⁻, or pentacoordinate species.

The previously discussed data and interpretations are consistent with MoO₃ forming a monolayer (from partial to complete) or shell about the TiO₂ nanocrystals: a core-shell system. The core-shell structural arrangement apparently results from an epitaxial growth or dispersion of α-MoO₃ on the TiO₂ nanocrystals when the materials are calcined. This nanoarchitectural arrangement is possible due to an efficient and concerted nucleation of the anionic metal oxide nanoparticles (Tyzor LA and Mo8O₂₆ ⁴⁻) at the surface of the cationic CTAC micelles, which places the titania and molybdenum oxide phases in an intimate and well-dispersed arrangment. Several previous reports have shown that molybdenum oxide species readily disperse on macroscopic metal oxide supports due to strong X—O—Mo (X=Ti, Zr, Al, and Si) bonding. Moreover, there is only a small lattice mismatch between the a,c unit cell axes of α-MoO₃ and the a unit cell axis of anatase (4.7% and 2.3%, respectively) and considering the anatase unit cell as pseudo-cubic, it is reasonable to suppose that α-MoO₃-like shells nucleate at the surface of anatase nanocrystallites (FIG. 6). Since the XANES and Raman data are consistent with TiO₂ and MoO₃ existing in separate phases in TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18) (least amount of molybdenum oxide in the series), then the maximum Mo dopant level (if any) would be present in this material, and hence the change in optical and structural properties in the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) series cannot be due to increasing dopant levels in the anatase core. The EPR data conclusively show the ensemble of particles in each of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials to have on average at most one paramagnetic center per core-shell particle. Moreover, each sample is relatively homogeneous, as far as the PE shifts are concerned, exhibiting relatively sharp edges in the absorption spectra. These spectral observations are consistent with a homogeneous distribution of paramagnetic centers (if they indeed contributed to the exhibited optical properties), rather than a fraction of the nanoparticles containing no paramagnetic centers and having no PE shift, another fraction with one paramagnetic center and a shifted PE, and another fraction with two or more paramagnetic centers with yet another PE shift. It is unlikely a mechanism exists that would generate one and only one paramagnetic center per particle, therefore the PEs are seemingly unrelated to the presence of paramagnetic species. This is an especially important point considering that the calculated paramagnetic center concentration is an upper bound, and so it is very probable that there is less than one center per particle. This would mandate electronic, and in turn optical, inhomogeneities in the ensemble of core-shell particles which we have not observed in any of our experimental data. Finally, the only reported Ti/Mo ternary oxide phase is TiMoO₅ with a band gap energy of 3.2 eV.

The data support a conclusion that the optical absorption properties exhibited by the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials are due to charge-transfer processes at the semiconductor heterojunction that is established as a result of the chemical bonding between the TiO₂ core and the MoO₃ shell. This allows the core-shell wave functions to overlap at the interface, giving rise to a heterojunction band structure. FIG. 7 depicts the valence band (VB)/conduction band (CB) arrangement in TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) after heterojunction formation. The lowest energy excitation is from the TiO₂ VB to the MoO₃ CB, a core-shell charge transfer, and this energy closely matches the measured PE of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8). This electronic transition is probably allowed due to the reduced symmetry at the core-shell interface. The regular decrease in band gap energy with increasing MoO₃ shell thickness (FIG. 2) may be attributed to the reduced confinement of the electronic states in the shell, as it evolves from isolated MoO₃ islands (TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18)) to nearly two complete MoO₃ mono-layers (TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8)) (see FIG. 6). It has been shown experimentally and theoretically that the edge energy (or the energy difference between the HOMO and LUMO) of both aqueous and supported polyoxomolybdate clusters decreases as the cluster size increases. This effect is due to the increased spatial delocalization of the molecular orbitals as the clusters grow. However, the minimum edge energy attainable is that when the polyoxomolybdate clusters grow to form crystalline MoO₃. In a similar fashion, a red-shift is observed in the PE's as the MoO₃ shell grows from less than a monolayer to two monolayers (right to left in FIG. 6). But in contrast to previous work, the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) PE's are also red-shifted from bulk MoO₃ since the photoexcited electronic transitions occur between the core and the shell, as opposed to within the core or within the shell. These optical absorption transitions occur at increasingly lower energies since the energy difference between the TiO₂-core VB and the MoO₃-shell CB (or LUMO) is decreasing as a result of the contraction in the MoO₃ HOMO/LUMO gap, as the shell grows. Finally, the visible-light induced photochromism is in agreement with a hybrid core-shell electronic structure, since bulk TiO₂ and MoO₃ exhibit photochromic effects only when photoexcited in the ultraviolet. It is evident that the photophysical properties exhibited by the series of TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds are not a simple linear combination of those of the nanocrystalline TiO₂ core and the MoO₃ shell, but instead entirely new photophysical properties are observed as a result of the core-shell nanoarchitecture and the electronic transitions this structure supports.

The semiconductor heterojunction has a pronounced influence on the overall electronic properties of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds, which may be explained on the following basis. In a typical crystallite of anatase TiO₂ the fraction of TiO₂ units at the surface is proportional to 12.5 Å/d, where d is the diameter of the particle. Thus, the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials, the fraction of TiO₂ units at the core-shell interface is 16% for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.18), 21% for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54), 25% for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.1), and 31% for TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8). Therefore, the trend in the PEs may be viewed as resulting from the dominant chemical/electronic interactions at the core-shell interface.

The core-shell interface and the electronic transitions between these two structural motifs should also have a major influence on the photocatalytic properties exhibited by the TiO₂—(MoO₃)x materials, and ultimately their utility in technologically important processes. The fact that none of the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) compounds fluoresce, as opposed to pure TiO₂, is indicative that e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination is predominantly nonradiative (i.e., the energy is dissipated as heat through phonon modes), or the e⁻/h⁺ pairs are lost through photoinduced changes (e.g., photochromism) in the material. Previous studies have shown that metal dopants in nanocrystalline TiO₂ can provide sites for efficient e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination, thus rendering them unavailable for photocatalytic activity. The core-shell materials do not have molybdenum dopants in the TiO₂ core or titanium dopants in the MoO₃ shell, but structural distortions at the core-shell interface may provide suitable defect sites for efficient nonradiative e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination. It is more likely in this case, however, that photoexcited e⁻/h⁺ pairs could participate in both photochromic and photocatalytic processes simultaneously. In other words, photogenerated e⁻/h⁺ pairs may be less available for participation in photocatalytic processes since they can be lost or trapped as a result of photochromic changes in the material. Indeed, Table 2 shows that both TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54) and TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) are less efficient than Degussa P25 for the photocatalytic oxidation of acetaldehyde.

Additional information regarding the TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(x) materials may be found in Elder et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122: 5138-46, 2000, which is incorporated herein by reference.

TABLE 2 Conversion Efficiencies for the Gas-Phase Photocatalytic Oxidation of Acetaldehyde Catalyst Light Source/Filter % Conversion Degussa TiO₂ Hg lamp/quartz 18 Xe lamp/quartz 63 Xe lamp/Pyrex 22 Xe lamp/Pyrex and 420 nm 0.0 cutoff filter TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(1.8) Hg lamp/quartz 0.0 Xe lamp/quartz 25 Xe lamp/Pyrex 15 Xe lamp/Pyrex and 420 nm 0.0 cutoff filter TiO₂—(MoO₃)_(0.54) Hg lamp/quartz 0.0 Xe lamp/quartz 20 Xe lamp/Pyrex 11 Xe lamp/Pyrex and 420 nm 0.0 cutoff filter

EXAMPLE 3 Preparation and Characterization of Mesoporous Vanadium Oxide/Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Heterojunction Materials

Titanate(2-), dihydroxy bis[2-hydroxypropanoate(2-)-O¹,O²]-, ammonium salt (Tyzor LA from Dupont, 2.23M in Ti), (NH₄ )₆(V₁₀O₂₈), and ceytltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC, 29 wt. % from Lonza Chemical Co.) were combined in a 3 Ti:1 V:2 CTAC molar ratio. The resulting mixture was stirred while slowly adding water until irreversible precipitation was complete. The precipitate was stirred overnight at room temperature, at 70° C. for 24 h, and at 100° C. for 48 h in a sealed Teflon reactor. The aged precipitate was isolated by washing and centrifuging several times with fresh aliquots of water and the CTAC was removed by calcining in air at 450° C. for 2 h. Materials with Ti:V initial ratios of 9:1, 1:1, and 0.75:1 were also be prepared in an analogous fashion.

The polyoxometallate cluster (NH₄)₆(V₁₀O₂₈) used in this synthesis was prepared by dissolving V₂O₅ in water while simultaneously adjusting the pH to approximately 9 with concentrated NH₄OH. The pH was adjusted back to 5.5-5.6 with concentrated HCl to stablize the cluster.

Diffuse spectral reflectance measurements on the 3:1 material reveal a PE of 2.1 eV, which is lower than the PE of either V₂O₅ (PE=2.2 eV) or TiO₂. XRD measurements reveal an average nanoparticle size of about 93 Å.

EXAMPLE 4 Preparation of Mesoporous Aluminum Oxide/Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Heterojunction Materials

Titanate(2-), dihydroxy bis[2-hydroxypropanoate(2-)-O¹,O²]-, ammonium salt (Tyzor LA from Dupont, 2.23M in Ti), Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄Cl₁₇, and ceytltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC, 29 wt. % from Lonza Chemical Co.) were combined in a 3 Ti: 1 Al:2 CTAC molar ratio. The resulting mixture was stirred while slowly adding water until irreversible precipitation was complete. The precipitate was stirred overnight at room temperature, at 70° C. for 24 h, and at 100° C. for 48 h in a sealed Teflon reactor. The aged precipitate was isolated by washing and centrifuging several times with fresh aliquots of water and the CTAC was removed by calcining in air at 450° C. for 2 h. Materials with Ti:Al ratios of 9:1, 1:1, and 0.75:1 were prepared in an analogous fashion.

The stock solution of Al₁₃O₄(OH)₂₄Cl₁₇ polyoxometallate complex used in these syntheses was prepared by dissolving AlCl₃.6H₂O in water and adjusting the pH to approximately 4.

EXAMPLE 5 Preparation of Mesoporous Tungsten Oxide/Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Heterojunction Materials

Titanate(2-), dihydroxy bis[2-hydroxypropanoate(2-)-O¹,O²]-, ammonium salt (Tyzor LA from Dupont, 2.23M in Ti), (NH₄ )₆(W₁₂O₃₉)(H₂O), and ceytltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC, 29 wt. % from Lonza Chemical Co.) were combined in a 3 Ti: 1 W:2 CTAC molar ratio. The resulting mixture was stirred while slowly adding water until irreversible precipitation was complete. The precipitate was stirred overnight at room temperature, at 70° C. for 24 h, and at 100° C. for 48 h in a sealed Teflon reactor. The aged precipitate was isolated by washing and centrifuging several times with fresh aliquots of water and the CTAC was removed by calcining in air at 450° C. for 2 h. Materials with Ti:W ratios of 9:1, 1:1, and 0.75:1 were prepared in an analogous fashion.

The polyoxometallate complex, (NH₄)₆(W₁₂O₃₉)(H₂O), used in these syntheses may be purchased from Aldrich, Milwaukee, Wis.

EXAMPLE 6 Preparation of Mesoporous Niobium Oxide/Nanocrystalline Titanium Dioxide Heterojunction Materials

Titanate(2-), dihydroxy bis[2-hydroxypropanoate(2-)-O¹,O²]-, ammonium salt (Tyzor LA from Dupont, 2.23M in Ti), K₈Nb₆O₁₉, and ceytltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC, 29 wt. % from Lonza Chemical Co.) were combined in a 3 Ti: 1 Nb:2 CTAC molar ratio. The resulting mixture was stirred while slowly adding water until irreversible precipitation was complete. The precipitate was stirred overnight at room temperature, at 70° C. for 24 h, and at 100° C. for 48 h in a sealed Teflon reactor. The aged precipitate was isolated by washing and centrifuging several times with fresh aliquots of water and the CTAC was removed by calcining in air at 450° C. for 2 h. Materials with Ti:Nb ratios of 9:1, 1:1, and 0.75:1 were prepared in an analogous fashion.

The K₈Nb₆O₁₉ polyoxometallate complex was synthesized by dissolving Nb₂O₅ in KOH until a pH of between 11 and 13 was attained.

The preceding examples are set forth to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit it. Additional embodiments and advantages within the scope of the claimed invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. In the claims that follow, the singular terms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless context clearly indicates otherwise. 

We claim:
 1. A heterojunction material, comprising: a nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase; and a second metal oxide phase, wherein the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase is chemically bonded to the second metal oxide phase through a heterojunction formed at an interface between the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase and the second metal oxide phase.
 2. The heterojunction material of claim 1, wherein the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase is anatase.
 3. The heterojunction material of claim 1, wherein the material exhibits a photoabsorption energy lower than 3.2 eV.
 4. The heterojunction material of claim 1, wherein the second metal oxide phase forms a shell around a core comprising the nanocrystalline titanium dioxide phase, the heterojunction formed at the interface between the shell and the core.
 5. The heterojunction material of claim 4, wherein the shell comprises from less than a complete monolayer to one or more monolayers of the second metal oxide.
 6. The heterojunction material of claim 4, wherein the shell is molybdenum oxide and the core is nanocrystalline anatase.
 7. The heterojunction material of claim 6, wherein the molybdenum oxide phase has a structure substantially similar to bulk α-MoO₃.
 8. The heterojunction material of claim 6, wherein Mo L₃-edge data for the material has a low-energy peak of greater intensity than a high-energy peak.
 9. The heterojunction material of claim 6, wherein a Raman scattering signal corresponding to the M═ symmetric stretching mode is not influenced by hydration.
 10. The heterojunction material of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of V, W, Nb, Mo, Al and combinations thereof.
 11. The heterojunction material of claim 10, wherein the metal is V, Al, W or Nb. 